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No Wimpy Wines. That’s the motto of Ravenswood Winery, a winery that believes that white Zinfandel’s best quality is that it preserved Old Vine Zinfandel during Prohibition. That’s not just some flashy name either: Joel Peterson, founder and winemaker of Ravenswood and nicknamed “the Godfather of Zin,” lives it every day. He spent 15 tireless years tr... Read more

No Wimpy Wines. That’s the motto of Ravenswood Winery, a winery that believes that white Zinfandel’s best quality is that it preserved Old Vine Zinfandel during Prohibition. That’s not just some flashy name either: Joel Peterson, founder and winemaker of Ravenswood and nicknamed “the Godfather of Zin,” lives it every day. He spent 15 tireless years trying to get his winery to turn a profit, and while his first harvest was in 1976, it was in 1992 that he finally quit his other job at a clinical lab, splitting his life in two the whole time.
Financing the operation was always difficult. For many years, the winery moved around, trying to find a cheap place to house their operations. It wasn’t until their Vintners Blend program was launched that they were finally able to settle down with the money they made, in 1991. Starting in the mid 80s, Vintners Blend was a less expensive wine, thanks to the fact that it was created by blending many grapes from different vineyards.
In 1982 Ravenswood made their first Zinfandel with grapes from multiple vineyards, creating its County Series: wines that feature regional distinctions. Today, it sources grapes from over 100 vineyards in northern California, a huge expansion from its original vagabond roots. Read less

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Fruit forward with red berry and plum. Some oaky notes in the mix as well. Firm tannins. This wine was a bit hot with the alcohol at times. Not bad at all but could stand to gain a little complexity in my opinion.

Ravenswood 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel – Napa Valley – Lamarr: Nose: No where near as oaky as the Plungerhead, fruity nose (can’t tell if it’s blackberry or plum), Hector, being the smart-ass he is suggests “Bug-killer…insecticide!”, On the palate: Very jammy, like biting into a ripe fruit, full-bodied, Finish: strong, medium lasting, high tannins, Hector: Not as good as Plungerhead (Lamarr: I just think it’s different (kind of like working in the public school system where you can’t say anyone is stupid, just different), Marcus Aurelius: bite as you swallow it, Hector: the Raven to Wood ratio is slightly off.
Lamarr: high B (definitely close to a B+, I’m thinking an 86.6, may get again in a rush/on a budget/for Wade, Note: may knock the Petite from last night down to an 85).
Hector: B, could have been better (K-Mart: too dry!)
Marcus Aurelius: I’d give it a B, little too strong in the nose, too hot

Franco Teldeschi (who, upon coming to America, began calling himself Frank) planted a vineyard and sold grapes to Italian home winemakers in San Francisco. Sometime later, during the 1970s, a young Joel Peterson came to his house in Dry Creek Valley and asked if he could buy some grapes for his new winery, Ravenswood. He and Frank sat down under a tree and Frank opened a bottle of his homemade wine; four hours later Joel could hardly walk, but he had a deal for a few tons of Zinfandel and it was some of the best Dry Creek Valley Zin he's ever tasted. Today Frank's son John Teldeschi takes care of the vineyard. Some of the vines are 90 years old, and the grapes are the classic Italian-Californian field blend: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane. But it's mostly Zinfandel. Ravenswood's Teldeschi Zin is one of their best wines every vintage. Connoisseurs Guide scored this 2006 95 points saying "The mating of Teldeschi fruit with the Ravenswood hand has yielded superb results across the years, and 2006 is not exception. From its first nose of ripe, concentrated blackberries tinged with sweet spices to the background notes of soils, toast and toffee to its varietally compelling flavors firmed by tough yet fruit-buffered tannins, this one never lets up, but it does want time in the cellar to soften its age-demanding astringency"

Wine Tasting NotesThe Vintners Blend has a rich, somewhat soft, moderately complex, spicy, ripe, raspberry aroma. The flavors are those of black cherries, mint and vanilla with a sturdy, slightly astringent finish. The freshness and youth that we strive for in the Vintners Blend allows it to be released with slightly less barrel and bottle age. We pass our economic savings on to the consumer who will find these forceful but friendly wines to be a wonderful complement to pasta, poultry, red meats and other highly-flavored dishes.

This is Ravenswood's introductory Zinfandel. A full-bodied red with black berry fruit, cherries, and pepper aromas. If you like this Zin, try the rest of their wines: you'll immediately see the family resemblance.